The Pirates are actively shopping center fielder Andrew McCutchen, according to multiple sources, and the likelihood of a trade is increasing as the winter meetings approach. The front office has started pursuing specific teams in an effort to work out a trade for young talent.

McCutchen, 30, had the worst season of his career in 2016, posting a .766 OPS, and has displayed declining speed and defensive ability, according to advanced metrics. In the previous five years, McCutchen had a .905 OPS, a National League MVP, a Gold Glove and a .905 OPS.

This is proof that even the great ones get older quickly, and that the age of 30 just isn’t young in baseball anymore. By the time a player reaches 30, there’s still some magic left in the tank but the shine is off.

And the Pirates? Well kind of shame on them. If you can’t commit to trying to make a player like McCutchen a lifetime Pirate and building another strong nucleus around him, you’re never really going to fully commit long-term to anyone. I wouldn’t blame any Pirates fan right now for feeling a bit let down and somewhat turning their back on the team. In a lot of ways, what they’re doing here is worse than the Cincinnati Reds because McCutchen is still arguably a productive player in his prime years.

Sources confirm that the Pirates have approached the Washington Nationals, the Texas Rangers and the Seattle Mariners with the hopes of getting prospects in return.

McCutchen has really been a good one – a fun player to watch and a model ambassador of the game in Pittsburgh. He’s been enjoyable to be a fan of these last five or six years.